1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of this invention relate to compositions of crosslinked zeta potential altering coated proppant and methods for sand packing, frac packing, fracturing, formation consolidation, and producing fluids from subterranean formation using crosslinked zeta potential altering coated proppant and methods for producing from a formation through the formation of a network of proppant pillars, clusters, columns, or islands in fractures in a formation during and/or after formation fracturing, proppant networks, proppant pillars, coating crosslinking composition, crosslinked coatings, and crosslinked coated proppants.
More particularly, embodiments of this invention relate to compositions of crosslinked zeta potential altering coated proppant and methods for sand packing, frac packing, fracturing, formation consolidation, and producing fluids from subterranean formation using crosslinked zeta potential altering coated proppant and methods for producing fluids from subterranean formations through the formation of a network of proppant pillars, clusters, columns, or islands in fractures in a formation during and/or after formation fracturing, proppant networks, proppant pillars, coating crosslinking composition, crosslinked coatings, and crosslinked coated proppants, where the methods include a sequence of proppant stages designed to form proppant networks and proppant pillars that increase fracture conductivity. The embodiment of this invention also relate to proppant and fines control where the formation or proppant pack is treated with zeta altering material of the present invention and then consolidation with the crosslinking agent to provide strength to proppant pack or formation and also prevent fines migration by modifying zeta potential of the fines particles so as to produce fluid at a much greater draw down rate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many techniques related to sand control have been proposed to decrease proppant flow back in order to sustain high conductivity fractures after hydraulic fracturing. One technique includes Halliburton deposited thermally-cured proppants in the fracture, and resin-coated gravel, for example, to create a fracture with high conductivity. These resin coated proppants are designed to prevent proppant flowback and to reduce fines generation and migration when cured at high temperature and pressure. A second technique includes coating the proppant with liquid resin containing crosslinking agent and pumping the coated proppant downhole during fracturing and allowing the thermoset resin to harden with temperature to create bound proppant pack. In situ consolidation of proppant with liquid thermoset resin injection that cement the proppants in situ provide poor conductivity and is not used too often. Most commercially available systems employ phenolic, furan, or epoxy resins mixed with the crosslinking agent that is activated by formation temperature. These techniques bind rock particles together, creating a stable matrix of permeable, consolidated grains. A third technique includes prepacked screens and slotted liners, especially for friable or completely unconsolidated formations, prepacked screens and slotted liners provide a low-cost downhole filtering and many other techniques used to prevent proppants from flowback, thereby enhancing the productivity during fracturing applications.
While there are a number of solutions to the problem of proppant flowback, these solutions either require special proppants or required resin cementing of proppant in the formation. These techniques have different drawbacks such as enhanced proppant expense and rigid refashioning of formation properties due to internal cementing. They also reduce the porosity and conductivity of the proppant pack or unconsolidated formation. Also it is difficult to use these techniques in remedial treatment of proppant pack of formation due to accumulation of these resins in the pores. Thus, there is a need in the art for a different technique for dealing with proppant flowback. Moreover, thermoset resin system described previously cannot be used in the control of fines migration as resin can set in the pores and will plug the formation. They also do not capture the fines because they set into a hard coating with no affinity for fines material.